Saayman Says … Golfing Weblog

Hi all
Not much to tell you about my week back in Switzerland other than its good to be home and that the weather is really really s…

I went to practice 3 or 4 times this week and am happy to say that I am not the only crazy person in Switzerland. It must be said however that its generally the same crazies out there (the rest of you are chicken!) and I hope that we all see the positive in our golf this coming season.
One other thing I have noticed. There are some people who really believe that its possible to achieve my goal and there are some that think its never going to happen. Interestingly the ones that are negative don’t actually ask how I think I am going to do it and rarely believe that some hard work and self belief will see me get there. Those that believe, ask the best questions, and really do show an interest in how to get there. Goes to show, it takes all sorts and I hope to prove the nay sayers very wrong by slaying a few dragons on the way.

Till next time and thanks for the support.

Cheers

Geoff

I arrived at my friends Hans and Maude Sunday 21st. They stay on a Jack Nicklaus design course called Pecanwood which is about an hour outside of Johannesburg.

I spent most of the Monday practicing on the lovely practice facilities which they have and Hans and I had about an hour chipping competition which really helps to sharpen your short game. It also teaches you to deal with the stress of having to put it closer than your opponent. Hans beat me 10 and 5 on the putting green as I was shutting the putter face on the short putts and he was better than me overall.

On Tuesday we played a round with another cousin of mine Michael Oliver joining us to make up the 4 ball. Mike and I have threatened to play a round of golf together for about 5 years now at least so it was great to get this done eventually. We had a good laugh on the way at how this game can take you from highs to lows in the matter of 2 shots. He does not play that often but is naturally athletic so when he hits the ball it stays hit and kept reminding me each time he outdrove me just how old and weak I am. I of course simply responded by saying ’see you on the green’ which invariably was what happened. I managed a respectable 78 on a par 72 golf course and this after going 6 over on the 1st nine and finishing with a crucial par putt on the 18th to shoot level par on the back 9.

So today, 25th February, was a day that I have looked forward to for a long time. I finally got to play on Blair Atholl probably one of  the most exclusive golf courses in South Africa and only by invitation of a home owner. The entire estate is built on the old Gary Player farm north of Johannesburg and was designed by Gary Player himself who still lives on the estate.

The day started cold and very very wet. Yes it does rain in South Africa sometimes and today was cold and wet. We had to start an hour after our scheduled t time and were only allowed out after much negotiation. I played with Hans, Walter and Anton Kruger. Anton and Walter both went to school with me and it was fun talking about our school days. I managed to shoot 86 and say managed as the conditions were not good and we played off the back tees which measure to an incredible 7 500 metres with two or three par 3’s over 220 metres and one par 5 an incredible 607 metres long. Walter thanks again for arranging it and Anton many thanks for the invite to this awesome golf course.

Today I played Parkview Golf Course in Johannesburg with my nephew and some of his friends. Its a well established course on the outskirts of Johannesburg and after playing Blair Atholl seemed very short even from the back tees. I shot a respectable 77 and though it’s fairly short it has narrow fairways and small greens. We got caught up in a massive thunderstorm with a lot of lightning around but soldiered on and managed to live to tell the tale. There were a few moments where I wanted to run for cover but the locals told me to not be  a sissy! Last round for this trip and I played with my cousin Bev, Kerr her husband and Dylan. We played on Jackal Creek Golf Course which is a golf estate aimed at the up and coming in that the houses are more like apartments and not massive homes for the extremely wealthy. It is a lovely course but a round that I would prefer to forget. I have no idea what I shot, suffice it to say that there was not enough space on the card to write my score in. This raises an interesting point in why does this happen in golf and how best does one cope with it. I have been reading a very good book on the mind and golf and how best to make what we have to work best in all circumstances. The book is titled ‘The Inner Game of Golf’ and is written by W. Timothy Gallwey. I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy. Below a photo of the shot of the year at Jackal Creek which is a par 4 of 290 metres. The ball on the green next to the hole is Dylan’s drive!

So now it’s back to the real world and I will keep you posted on my progress with regard to achieving my goal and hopefully get to play a round or two with all of you that are following this quest. I am also planning a trip similar to this one for next year so let me know who is joining me so that we can arrange it.

I will be uploading all my photos from the entire trip to the web and will share the link with my next post.

Cheers for now.

Geoff

Friday 12th to Sunday 21st at Sun City

So I took off the 12th to have a day of rest and to do some training at the driving range at Lost City Golf Course. I spent a lot of time working on keeping myself swinging ‘inside the barrel’. This basically means that you try to keep yourself swinging around your spine so that there is not too much lateral head and body movement. The way it was shown to me by Wayne Westner is that you stand between two chairs both touching your hips on your left and right side and swing without moving them laterally. What I use on the range is two steel iron shafts which have the same effect. This has helped in keeping my core more solid resulting in better contact into the ball. I will be happy to show anyone this tip if they wish me to.

One of my guests for two weeks was Tamara Tremp who I met in Sankt Gallen and is a physiotgerapist. She came with at the last minute and  helped me by doing much of the video shoots that I intend to upload once I am back in Switzerland. She spent 2 weeks here and I think knows my swing pretty well by now. I believe she has also got the golf bug! On this particular day I stopped after hitting 3 buckets in the very hot African sun. I had one bucket left and she asked very politely whether she may hit a few balls. She ended up hitting the entire bucket and somehow managed to hit the bucket with the last ball which then hit her on the knee. So perhaps the bug will not bite as she may think that golf is a contact Sport.

On Saturday I had an old school friend Walter Kruger and his lovely wife Karen join me and we played the Lost City Golf Course. It was really nice to see him after more than 28 years and we had a good round of golf.  I shot an 80 and was happy with my golf. We played against 2 other guys and managed to win the princely sum of R1.00 and this only on the last hole. Having said that Walter and I did give them 9 strokes based upon our combined handicaps so we did well. Thanks Walter it was great seeing you again. Sunday was spent partly on the range practising my short game and just taking it easy.

On Monday I played the Lost City Course again and met a very nice young couple,Lindsay Combrink and Ronald Wichman. Man talk about talent! And relax Ronald, I am referring to Lindsay’s golf. It is a long long time since I have had the privilege to play with someone that is so naturally talented. She hits the ball a long way, most times longer than me(yes I did cry a little inside) and straight as an arrow. Of course the gods did bring her down a peg or two as they are wont to do but I cannot begin to really explain how great it was to see. Lindsay I will say it again, use this talent and as long as I have space for you in Switzerland to come out and try the ladies tour in Europe my family will welcome you with open arms. Yes Ronald, you are more than welcome too. It was a pleasure meeting both of you and I wish you all the very best. Ronald and Lindsay spent the night with me as I was an old man and told them that they could only leave the next day on their 8 hour homeward journey. I shot an 80.

Hans was back with me on the 18th and I shot the best round thus far with a really nice 74 on the Gary Player Golf Course. I was so happy with my round on one of the most challenging courses in South Africa. We met and played with Michael (a South African living in Sydney and moving to Dallas Texas) and his wonderful wife Cindy. It was just one of those rounds when it all came together and if I hadn’t dropped one shot on the 17th and 18th it would have been level par.
My sister Jenny arrived the evening of the 18th and Hans and Tamara left on the morning of the 19th .
No golf on the 19th but roll on the 20th.
I played LCGC with my cousin Beverly and her husband Kerr, my sister and my good friend Harold Frey who is Swiss and working currently in SA for SAP. We had a great round and experienced many interesting things on our round from the crocodiles on the 13th to Impala on the 11th and a Black Mamba on the road up to the 17th t box. The Mamba is one of the fiercest snakes in the world and we were only too happy that it left us alone. Estimated size was around 4 to 6 foot so not something you want to mess with. We played as a 5 ball (only in Africa) and sadly it took 7 hours. I managed to shoot an 80 and lost some money as I was convinced that I would shoot a par round and bet against myself. So I paid up and shut up after the round!

On the 21st it was back to GPCC for my final round in Sun City on this trip. I played with Bev, Kerr and Harold and it was a perfect day again weather wise. A good 30 degrees at least and a perfectly blue sky. 2 over after 9 with a bogey on the 9th and managed to shoot a 77 with a birdie, par, birdie finish.

What a great way to finish up at this amazing place. It is filled with happy and very friendly and warm people, from the caddy’s through to the management and I cannot thank them enough for their hospitality and all the effort they went to to make the stay for Mr Saayman a very memorable one. In particular I wish to thank my caddy from GPCC Peter who is amazing as well as William from the LCGC. I am sure that I will miss out many people that I should thank but will try all the same. In no particular order, Antonie Els and the ladies Emma and Olga that were most helpful with my t times, Frans and Alpheus from the two golf courses, Lu, Moses, Peter N, Reuben, Victor, Abbott, and all those whose names I cannot at the moment remember – you are all wonderful people and I wish you only the very best. I will be back and we will have many laughs together again I am sure.

Cheers for now

Geoff